Tarzan and Legolas
by ArWen of sMirkwood
Summary: What on Middle-earth would Tarzan have to do with Legolas? Maybe they aren't so unrelated after all. A sort of Legolas-centred fic...please r/r!Thanks!
1. Default Chapter

I hope all you readers will enjoy this story. It's merely done out of boredom for fun. Please REVIEW, it really makes my day. Thanks! Many thanks go to my little brother, and my pals Mel and Nick for their invaluable help, support and encouragement.  
  
Disclaimer: The same old thing, I don't own any of the LOTR characters that will *eventually * appear (though as you can tell, the focus is on Lego), and this story is of course not for profit.  
  
Note: I have checked out the physical characteristics of gorillas, and their feeding habits, and learnt quite a lot, to my surprise. Gorillas are in fact vegetarians, have black fur, and live in groups of about 10, often led by the same dominant male for a long time, and do not move about very much. They are gentle creatures, and walk about on all fours. Incidentally, the older gorillas' furry coats turn grey in their lower backs. However, in this story, for convenience's sake, the gorillas will be portrayed in a mildly different and more humanized manner(though in fact gorillas ARE rather similar to humans in some ways). Gorillas stay on the ground quite often.  
  
I have added this little note for those who are interested in knowing more about gorillas, and for those of you who knows more about gorillas than I do and find the way I've portrayed them inaccurate.  
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Chapter 1—The Little Lost One  
  
In a little enclave off the great forest of Mirkwood, while the world was still young, there lived a little colony of gorillas. The enclave was cut off from Mirkwood by a very dense, nearly impenetrable wall of trees and rocks . There the gorillas kept to themselves, for there was no need ever to wander out of their safe haven. They fed on the leaves and fruits of the athenas trees, and the nuts, which were in abundance, and drank from the spring. They lived in the forks of the trees, and were peaceful, content and happy creatures. Once in a blue moon few of them wandered out into Mirkwood to see the wider world, and they would return with tasty morsels of butterflies and other insects as well as bananas. These were considered a luxury.  
  
However, as evil began to set afoot in Mirkwood, a shadow grew in southern Mirkwood, and in the enclave as well. The athenas trees slowly began to wither, and the fruits and leaves that they bore began to dwindle both in quality and number, as did the nut trees, until it reached a crisis level. The gorillas had to send a search party out, for the first time ever, to seek food or they would all starve. Jarelline (whose name meant the 'jewel' of the gorillas, in their language) offered to go out into Mirkwood, along with a few of her friends. Most of them belonged to the nobility of the gorillas, and among these were the ones that usually wandered out to explore and go in search of the luxury food items.  
  
Out in southern Mirkwood, the group began to spread out---some in search of edible fruits and nuts, others in pursuit of insects and the bananas. They would require a substantial amount of food to feed the whole colony.  
  
Jarelline's eyes flitted swiftly from tree to tree as she hunted for fruits and nuts, and she suddenly caught a faint noise in the distance. Instantly alert, the search forgotten, with her sharp ears Jarelline followed the direction of the noise, further and further into the trees, the noise growing louder and louder. Finally she could discern what the noise was. It was that of a young human child crying, and the noise was loud and heart-wrenching. Jarelline knew human noises and how they sounded very well--- in her younger days, the gorillas had lived near one of the dwellings of Men, and the two kindreds had actually been friendly.  
  
"That was a long time ago," Jarelline mused sadly. She was one of the oldest of the gorillas in her colony, and knew much of the lore of the older days, and she often shared the history of the gorillas with the younger gorillas of these days.  
  
She came up to a small clearing where there were some bushes, and then stopped. There was no one in sight, yet the crying was still loud and clear. Puzzled, she glanced around, and finally located the source of the noise. It was huddled under some bushes, and Jarelline parted the thick bush. It was a young human child---in fact, it was only a baby( and a newborn). Startled, Jarelline realized that the baby was not just a young human child. It dawned on her that this was a little elfling when she saw the pointed ears. Being so old, and wise, she knew an elf when she saw one.  
  
Squatting, she gazed at the elven baby with interest and fascination. It was really tiny. The face, which was red, was scrunched up adorably as the elfling cried, and its little limbs moved about slightly. Jarelline saw the little pink toes and fingers curl up and then relax and fall back. She had never seen anything so beautiful in her whole life.   
  
In that moment, she fell in love with the elfling.  
  
Gently pulling the baby out of the bush, she picked it up in her arms and rocked it, making soft cooing and clicking noises. It felt to her like her own baby gorilla. Years ago, she had had her own baby gorillas, and had cradled and rocked them in her arms like this. A cloud settled on Jarelline as she remembered that they had died of disease, or had been hunted down and captured by Men. After an accident, she had become infertile and had had no more babies. It remained one of her greatest regrets in her life.  
  
There was still no Man or Elf within sight. Did no one want to take care of and comfort this poor elfling? Did it belong to any of the elves that she knew inhabited Northern Mirkwood? 


	2. Lost No More

My greatest apologies for the long wait---I was ill, and also had writer's block. Thanks to those who reviewed! I'll try my best to make this a good story. Please, more reviews! 3 isn't enough of a motivating factor ;-P  
  
Hearing the calls of her mates, Jarelline hesitated. She couldn't leave this elfling here all alone, with no one to care for it and soothe it. Carrying it carefully in her arms, she made her way back to her companions.  
  
"Where have you been, Jarelline?" Behemoth, one of her very close friends, demanded impatiently. "It is time to return." Embarrassed, Jarelline realized that she had completely forgotten about gathering food; her companions had already gathered a little collection of food which was to last for the rest of the week. "Where is the food you collected?"  
  
"I left it among the trees."  
  
"Ho!" Behemond, Behemoth's twin brother, bellowed. "What have we here?"  
  
"An elfling???!!!!" Basilisk, another of the gorillas, exclaimed. "Jarelline, whither did it come from?"  
  
"I found it among the bushes, abandoned by its own kind. I have decided to take it in and care for it." Jarelline was surprised by her own words. She had not decided what to do with the elfling when she had brought it over.  
  
"What?!" her friends exclaimed as one. Jarelline nodded firmly.  
  
"You cannot take him in, Jarelline!" Behemoth stared into his friend's eyes. "Have you forgotten our feud with the Elves?"  
  
"No. However, our feud with the Elves has nothing to do with this little elfling. It is innocent; it isn't its fault, but its ancestors'!"  
  
"How are you going to care for the elfling, Jarelline?" Behemond asked softly, racking his brain for any other reasons to dissuade his friend, for he recognized the truth in her words. "I am sure elves do not eat the same food as we do."  
  
"Besides, we have not enough food to feed every one of us already, let alone this elfling. We already have enough on our hands to feed already, with the human child you have already 'collected'," Basilisk added.  
  
"Are we then to leave this elfling all alone here, with no one to tend to him? Would you let it starve? Leaving it here, helpless and defenseless, would mean certain death. I cannot bear to let a life go like this. Had it been a baby gorilla, I am sure that either a Man or an Elf would take care of it and not let it die." Jarelline's voice was firm.  
  
"I have made up my mind, and it is no good trying to dissuade me." Jarelline lifted her chin resolutely.  
  
"Very well," Behemoth said quietly. "The elfling is your responsibility, and no one else's." He knew from Jarelline's expression that it was no good trying to bring her round. No one could stop her from doing what she really wanted.  
  
What neither of them knew that this kindly act of taking in a helpless, defenceless little elfling was the turning point of the gorillas' fortunes and a blessing in disguise.  
  
All the way back to the enclave, Jarelline's attention was riveted on the elfling. She cooed and made soft noises to it, and rocked it gently in her arms, and stroked it. The Elfling seemed to have taken to her very much indeed, and had stopped crying. It now looked out of huge, beautiful blue eyes that matched the colour of the sky and made little noises. It was certainly a beautiful baby, with perfect, soft even features in a sweet cherubic face. It was clad in a green and brown robe. Basilisk grumbled since now he had to take Jarelline's share of the load of food.  
  
Jarelline gazed down at the elfling, enchanted, and wondered who could have been so heartless as to dispose of this beautiful sweet little thing and leave it to a certain death in the wild.  
  
Back at the colony, there was a major uproar when the party appeared, not only with food but with the elfling. Every gorilla gathered outside the Gorilla King's tree, waiting to see how the King would react to the appearance of the elfling. The King, Jeromir, was prone to throwing major tantrums when things went wrong and any discerning gorilla would stay miles away while he was in one of his mad rages, or risk being torn to pieces. Every gorilla in the colony was slightly afraid of this fiery king, but he was an extremely capable ruler and for long the colony governed by him had lived a content, happy life, with whatever they needed easily available.  
  
Now, knowing the King's infamous tempers, every gorilla was gathered around the tree that served as a palace, though they were all careful to stay in the forks of the athenas trees, well out of reach of the King, and the little ones were perched on the tree tops to get a better view. They were sure that they would get a good 'show', and some of the adult gorillas were speculating on what the King would do and betting some of their precious bananas and nuts on it. The gorillas of this colony were quite hooked on betting, and they often betted on the outcomes of the 'pawball' games(the gorillas' equivalent of British football, with an acorn as the ball) played among the gorillas.  
  
Every gorilla watched with bated breath as the hunting party, led by Behemoth, approached King Jeromir. Jarelline hesitantly, with the elfling still in her arms, came forward and bowed to the King.  
  
"Your Majesty, I found this elfling left all alone in the forest with no one to tend to it. I have decided to take it into our colony and care for it, at least until it is able to fend for itself." Jarelline said boldly, and every gorilla marveled at the bold, determined and straightforward way that she approached the King. Then again, Jarelline was one of the few who dared to oppose the King openly in any way, and she had the leverage to do so. For she was one of those who had helped bring up the king in his youth, when his father was still alive, and the King was very fond of her.  
  
"WHAT did you just say?" King Jeromir growled, his eyes narrowed as much as a gorilla's eyes can narrow.  
  
"This elfling shall be my heir."  
  
"Repeat that again." Jeromir's voice was dangerously low and soft. The gorillas who were closer began to back away.  
  
Jarelline sighed impatiently. "I said, I shall keep this elfling, Your Majesty." She declared loud and clear. "Since when are you hard of hearing, my Lord?"  
  
All who were watching were sure that the King would fly into a rage and toss Jarelline in the air. Jeromir had been known to throw one of the gorillas clean out of the enclave in his rages. Like a Frisbee, the unfortunate gorilla had flew up in an arc and landed stunned on one of the trees but fortunately had escaped serious injury.  
  
"You will take the elfling out of our home and leave him where you found him, or I grant you leave to live with this elfling outside by yourself and never return." Jeromir's voice left no room for argument.  
  
"I cannot do this. We cannot leave a little one out there, who cannot fend for himself."  
  
"Have you forgotten how the greedy elven king took our territory from us by force, thus left us only this little area to live in, and how the elves killed my father?" Jeromir's voice was bitter with hatred and loathing for the elves.  
  
The King of the Wood-elves of Northern Mirkwood, Thranduil, had not been pleased with how the gorilla population had multiplied in Mirkwood.. The gorilla population had once been so great that they had partially destroyed some of the forest while eating, and they demanded more land for themselves. Not too willing to cede any more land to the gorillas, there had been a mini war. Jeromir's father had accidentally been killed by one of the elven archers. The wood-elves would never intentionally kill another living thing if they could avoid it. After the war, where the elves triumphed, of course (though the gorillas had fared pretty well by throwing acorns and whatever else they could find to throw at the elves, and gorillas are known to have made some primitive kind of weapon for the purpose of spearing insects out of holes in trees for food), the remaining gorillas had retreated to the enclave they now possessed. When evil had entered Mirkwood, the elves had retreated to their Northern realm and had forgotten about the gorillas.  
  
"Your father's death has naught to do with this elfling, my lord. Do not hold a grudge against this elfling, who did not participate in the war or ever harm any of us. Surely if it had been one of our young left alone in the forest to fend for itself, and if an elf found it, he would not leave it to die. The elves are good-hearted gentle folk, my lord. We should do likewise. Perhaps if any elf ever took this elfling back, the elves would look upon us with goodwill for the favour we have done them by looking after this elfling."  
  
"My...my..my lord, she.she. makes sense." Behemond ventured timidly, sure that he would be thrown out of the colony as well. He knew Jarelline well enough to know that she would insist on keeping this elfling.  
  
"We need only to tend it until it can fend for itself." Behemoth spoke in support of Jarelline, and she gave her friends a grateful look. "Surely you cannot be hard-hearted enough to let a life waste away, my lord." The other gorillas began to whisper among themselves. Some chanted in support of Jarelline, for she was well-liked, much loved and respected among the gorillas.  
  
Jeromir, provoked into one of his major rages, roared in anger and began to pummel Behemoth, Behemond and all the other gorillas, pelting them with acorns amd nuts and bananas, so that poor Behemond and Behemoth was covered with squashed bananas and bits of nuts and flowers and leaves and fruits. Jeromir made as if he was going to toss Jarelline and the elfling out into the forest.  
  
The other gorillas immediately began to form a barrier of their bodies around Jarelline and the elfling.  
  
Jeromir might be a violent gorilla *sometimes* (and that's the understatement of the year), but he had a kind heart, and sometimes his growl was worse than his bite. Furthermore, he saw that he might be defeated, if the supporters of Jarelline (and these were numerous)ganged up against him. Besides, he could not really bear to send Jarelline out of the colony.  
  
"Very well," Jeromir finally gave in. "The elfling shall stay with us-for the time being." 


End file.
